Dental Space Maintainers

Dental space maintainers help intervene and treat a child whose dental arches and jaws are not in the correct position. In short, they help by taking advantage of the jaw because it’s still growing.

Lake County, IL Family Dentistry

Children who have lost a tooth or had a tooth extracted due to dental decay or other reasons typically need dental space maintainers. They help in maintaining the space where your dentist expects permanent teeth to grow. After removing a tooth, remaining teeth then tend to shift into the open space, making it difficult for the tooth to erupt.

Oral care for your children and family members involves routine general dentistry services that can help young children and teens as they grow. Oral health needs change as one ages, therefore comprehensive dental care must provide for these changing needs. Our family dentistry in Lake County knows this and cares for our patients, young and old, accordingly.

Types of Dental Space Maintainers

It’s important to note, that dental space maintainers are custom-made using acrylic material, and some are removable while others are cemented in the child’s mouth. Your dentist can recommend one or more dental space maintainer procedure based on your needs.

For example, types of space maintainers include:

Removable space maintainers – they are made of acrylic. They help keep the space open for the permanent tooth to erupt

Fixed space maintainers – A few different types exist, including distal shoe, crown and loop, unilateral, and lingual

Distal shoe – A fixed dental space maintainer where the end of the metal gets attached to the gum line to keep the open space for the first molar tooth to erupt. The dentist monitors progress during the eruption of the permanent molar tooth. This ensures the space maintainers allow the tooth to erupt correctly

Crown and loop and unilateral spacers – The crown and loop and unilateral space maintainers help in holding the space of one tooth open. They are placed on one side of the mouth. Unilateral spacers hold the space around the outside of the tooth intact. The crown and loop is an actual crown attached to the other tooth to ensure space is then left for the erupting tooth

Lingual space maintainers – The lingual space maintainers are typically bilateral and are usually cemented to the molar teeth and connected with a wire on the inside of the lower front teeth. These dental space maintainers ensure space remains for several teeth. Children who are born with congenital diseases may fail to grow teeth, and therefore, partial dentures and space maintainers allow teeth to grow

Wearing space maintainers – This helps preserve a natural look and lets the tooth grow in the right position

Schedule regular visits with your dentist to ensure effective monitoring of the treatment

Avoid sugary food or candy, which can get stuck in the appliance

Do not push dental maintainers with fingers or by the tongue because this can make the spacers bend or loosen

Contact Us for Your Dental Space Maintainer Needs

Do you need help with dental work for you or your family? Please reach out to us today to schedule an appointment. Finding dental space maintainers in Lake County are just the first step, and we’re excited to take you down the road to improving your oral health together!